Sport

Amlin exit clears the way for two-legged European play-off

IF losing a semi-final has a silver lining it’s that a toss of a coin won’t determine Wasps’ European fate next season.

Had the black and golds won through to the Amlin Challenge Cup Final and then finished seventh in the Aviva Premiership, their two-legged play-off against the team finishing seventh in the Top 14 would have been slimmed down to a one-off game.

And a toss of the coin would have decided the venue.

With French teams notoriously fiery at home and flaky away, it would have been a fairly significant toss to win.

Wasps director of rugby Dai Young said: “First and foremost we have to get there. I don’t like talking about it until we’re there because we could end up with a lot of egg on our faces if things don’t go our way.

“But if we had got to the [Amlin Challenge Cup] final the rugby calender didn’t allow for a two-legged affair and it would have been on the toss of a coin whether you play home or away.

“I know the cricketers make a lot about the toss before a game, whether they’re going to bat first or bowl, but that certainly would have been a massive coin toss for us.

“We all know that going to France would have been very difficult. I’m sure the French team would have been hugely confident playing us at home but a little bit less so playing us away.”

As it stands Stade Francais are seventh in the Top 14 but Toulouse are on the same number of points and Bordeaux and Brive are also in the hunt.

Young said: “I don’t think there’s any easy teams. It’s going to be a tough game whoever we play.”